Telephone system.



No; 644,594. Patented Mar. 6, I900.

J. w. GORE. P

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

(Application filed Aug. 16, 1899.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOSHUA YVALKER GORE, OF CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,594, dated March 6,1900.

Application filed August 16 1899.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJOSHUA WALKER GORE, of Chapel Hill, in the county ofOrange and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Telephone Systems; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in telephone systems and isintended for use in connection with telephone systems in which two ormore telephones are in the same mainline circuit, one object of theinvention being to provide switch devices for party-line circuits bymeans of which several parts or sections of the same line can be usedsimultaneously without interfering with each other.

A further object is to so construct a partyline system that any part ofthe line not in use will always be ready for service.

A further object is to so constructa partyline system that privacy ofconversation will be assured.

A further object is to provide switch devices for a party-line systemwhich shall be simple in construction, easy to manipulate, not liable toget out of order, and which shall be effectual in all respects in theperformance of its functions.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts,ashereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying, drawings, Figure 1 isadiagramillustratingmyimprovements. Fig. 2 is a detail view of thelocking device.

A represents a revoluble disk of non-conducting material, preferablylocated within the casing (not shown)'of an ordinary telephone signalingapparatus and provided with a depending arm or lever 1 for operating it.The disk A is also provided with a lug 2, normally disposed midwaybetween two stops 3 4, with one or the other of which said lug engagesto limit the extent of movement of the disk. The switch-disk is providedwith a spring 3, secured at one end to the shaft of said disk and havingits free end passed loosely between and guided by pins 3*, so as SerialNo. 727,436. (No model.)

to cause said disk to return to its normal position when released.

Conducting-strips 5 6 '7 7 are secured in any suitable manner to oneface of the disk, at or near the periphery, and spaced apart.Contact-fingers 8, 8 9, 9, 10, and 11 are secured to a suitable frame orsupport and adapted to be engaged by the conductingstrips on the disk,the finger 8 being normally in contact with the strip 5, the finger 9restin g on the strip 6, the finger S engaging the strip 7, the finger 9in contact with the strip 7*, and'the fingers 10 and 11 normallydisposed between the conducting-strips 5 and 6.

One side of the line (represented in the drawings by the wired) isconnected with the conducting-strip 5, and the line at the other side ofthe station (represented by the wire 1)) is connected with the strip 6.The strip 7 is connected with a return line-wire b, and the strip 7' isconnected with a return line-wire a. The finger 10 is connected by awiref with the secondary windingf of the usual induction-coil, and thelatter is included in circuit with a telephone-receiver g and the contact-fingers 8 and 9. The telephone-transmitter h is included in anormally-open circuit with the primary winding-i of the induction-coil,a batteryj, and the fingersldll. The fingers 8 9 are connected by wires70 m with the respective terminals of the coils of the signaling device13.

An arm 14 is secured to the shaft of the switch-disk so as to move withthe latter, and below said arm a lever 15 is pivotally supported at oneend, the other end of said lever being provided with a hook 16 for thereception of the hand phone or receiver g. The lever 15 is provided at apoint directly under the arm 14 and in line with the shaft of the switchwith an upwardly-projecting lug 17, and under said lever a spring 18 isdisposed for pressing it toward the arm 14; when the hand phone orreceiver is removed from the hook 16. From this construction andarrangement of parts it will be seen that when the switch-disk is turnedin one direction or the other and the hand phone or receiver removedfrom the hook 16 the lever 15 will rise and the pin or lug 17 willbecome disposed alongside one edge of the arm 14, thus holding theswitch-disk in the position to which it has been moved against thetension of the spring 3. Vhen the hand phone or receiver is replaced onthe hook 16, the lever will descend against the resistance of the spring18, thus removing the pin or lug 17 from the arm 14 and releasing thelatter, and the switch is returned to normal position by the spring 3.

From Fig. 1, which represents the normal positions of the parts of theswitch, it will be seen that the circuit is completed from the line athrough the switch by conducting-strip 5, finger 8, wire 7;, signalingdevice 13, wire m, finger 9, strip 6, to line-wire b. The return-circuitis from wire I), strip 7, finger S, thence to finger 9", strip 7, andwire ct. Both the battery-circuit and the circuit through the receiverare open. To communicate with a station to the right, the station willfirst be called by means of the signaling device, and then the switch isturned clockwise to the limit of rotation, when the conducting-strip 5will move away from contact with the finger 8, thus severing theline-circuit, and at the same time the strip 7 is moved from contactwith the finger 8, thus severing the return-circuit. Immediatelyafterward, when limit of rotation has been reached, the strip 5 is incontact with the fingers 1011, and strip 7 is in contact with finger 8.Strip 6 remains in contact with finger 9, and strip 7 remains in contactwith finger 9'1. In this position of the switch the line a is connectedthrough strip 5, finger 10, secondary coil f, receiver g, finger 9",strip 7, to return-wire a. The battery-circuit through the transmitterwill also be closed. In this position of the switch communication may behad with a station to the right, the operator at which station hasturned his switch counter-clockwise or to the left.

\Vhile the switch at a station is turned to the right the portion b ofthe line is connected to the return-wire I) through the calling device,because the strip 7 will be in contact with finger 8, in circuit withthe signaling device 13, finger 9, and strip 6.

To communicate with a station to the left, the operator will turn theswitch to the left or counter-clockwise, when the portion Z) of the linewill be connected, through receiver, to the portion b of return-wire andthe portion of line a connected, through signaling device, to a ofreturn-wire.

To avoid the annoyance of every bell on the line ringing when a stationis called, the switch may be turned before signaling, when the bells atone side of the calling-station only will be sounded. That the bells tothe right only may ring, the switch must be turned counter-clockwisebefore signaling.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a party-line telephone system,the combination with a main line anda return-line, of a switch having a movable part and a series ofcontact-fingers, a series of four insulate'd conducting-strips securedto said movable part and having the line-wire connected with two ofthem, and the return-line connected with the other two of said strips, asignaling device connected in circuit with two of said fingers and localtelephone-circuits connected with the remaining fingers, whereby whenthe switch is turned, one side of the main line will be closed throughthe signaling device and one side of the return-line and the other sideof the main line closed through the local telephone-circuits and theother side of the return-line.

2. The combination witharevolublespringretained disk, means foroperating said disk and means for limiting its movements in bothdirections, of a series of insulated conducting-strips secured to saiddisk, main-line wires attached to two of said strips, return-wires forthe respective sides of the line connected with the other strips,fingers normally resting on said first-mentioned strips, a signalingdevice included in circuit with said fingers, two contact-fingersnormally disposed between the main-line-wire strips and connected in alocal telephone-circuit, and fingers normally resting on the return-wirestrips and included in the local telephone-circuit.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOSHUA WALKER GORE.

Vitnesses:

J. H. WILSON MARRIOTT, W. T. PATTERSON.

